Post updated on June 5. See below.

OK, this is really nice.

The Greater New York Councils created the special-edition council shoulder patch seen above to commemorate the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The patch, called “A Tribute in Light,” depicts the real-life Sept. 11 memorial displayed in New York each year. The twin beams of light shine from dusk on Sept. 11 through dawn the next day and can be seen for 60 miles.

It’s the first in the councils’ “Big Apple Series,” which is an annual “council shoulder patch series capturing the essence and world famous landmarks of the greatest city in the world.”

I love New York, and so I’m excited to see which landmark the councils showcase next. But it’s only fitting that they start with this moving tribute both to those who were lost and to those who are still healing from that terrible tragedy.

If you want one of these patches, read on to learn how to buy your own.

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Look up while riding a bus or train today, and you’ll probably see ads for the latest movie or hit TV show.

But if you rode one of San Francisco’s famous streetcars in the 1930s, you might have spotted the Boys’ Life advertisement seen above.

The ad, printed on a stiff piece of cardboard, appeared on the Market Street Railway in The City by the Bay. Continue reading »

You’ll hear about a troop’s history in a variety of ways.

Some seasoned Scouters will sit at the campfire and tell you the story of their troop from memory. Other units keep detailed scrapbooks or photo albums to pass on to future generations.

But St. Louis Scouter Lisa Balbes has a unique way of preserving Troop 352′s memories: a large patch blanket, seen above.

In a clever blending of classic Scouting and new technology, Balbes has even given the patch blanket its own Web site. The site lets you hover over each patch on the blanket for a closer look.

Here’s what she wrote in her note to me:

The troop associated with our school had folded, so when boys graduated from the pack they scattered to numerous troops. When my husband was Cubmaster, he decided to restart our own troop. After about eight years, we had a reunion and invited back everyone who could find who had ever been associated with either incarnation of Troop 352.

At the event, a lovely woman came whose father had been Scoutmaster of the troop in the 1960s through 1980s. Her father had passed away years ago, and her only brother, an Eagle Scout, had been killed in a car accident when he was 18. Her father had kept a patch collection, pinned to a piece of red fabric, that she’d kept all those years, not knowing what to do with it. She came to our reunion, and donated both the blanket and a Scout-themed candelabra to our troop. She was thrilled to find someone who wanted and appreciated them, and we were thrilled to get a piece of our troop’s history. I carefully sewed all the patches on (by hand), added a back and loops, and built the stand.

It now serves as a back drop at all our Courts of Honor, and the boys always enjoy looking at all the old patches, which include the first OA patch in our lodge, and some that we have not yet been able to identify. I am slowly figuring out what they all are and adding that to the database, so the troop’s history will not be lost again.

What a great way to preserve the legacy of Troop 352. If you have a cherished Scouting item you’d like to share for Memorabilia Monday, find out how to send it to me after the jump.

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When movie stars and athletes pose for a glossy, colorful poster, it’s routine. But when Bill Ward of Landenberg, Pa., was asked to star in a BSA national campaign, it was a life-changing moment.

That’s a 12-year-old Bill on the right in the poster seen here. Fifty-seven years later, the image is still a cherished memory for him.

Here’s how Bill remembers it in a letter he sent to me:

One of the highlights of my Scouting career was being selected to pose for the 1954 National BSA poster. From left to right the poster depicts Bill Shimpf (Explorer Scout), Jack Gallager (Scoutmaster), Ed Saunders (Cub Scout), and me. We were all proud members of Troop 179 of the BSA Cradle of Liberty Council in Philadelphia. Unfortunately, the artist changed our troop patch to 79. I was 12 years old at the time, and this was my 15 minutes of fame. We were interviewed on local television, and there were rumors of an appearance on the “Loretta Young Show” in New York CIty. We never made that trip, but the poster did, and it was broadcast on national television.

I loved my years with Troop 179, and I eventually earned the rank of Eagle Scout. I’m a little older now, but find every day that I still use the knowledge and skills I acquired then. I’m very pleased that my son Adam and grandson Zachary are active in BSA Troop 5 in Austin, Tex. I hope their experiences in Scouting are as positive and long-lasting as were mine.

That’s truly something to be proud of, Bill. Thanks for passing it along.

Now it’s your turn to send me your favorite piece of Scouting memorabilia. Here’s how:

• Take a high-res .jpg image of your favorite Scouting item.
• Just select one to send me (I know that picking one could be hard, but please try!).
• The file must be less than 2 MB in size.
• E-mail it to me with the subject line “Memorabilia” to scoutingmag@gmail.com.
• Include your name, position, and council.
• Tell me why this item is special to you.